Rainy Thanksgiving Day forecast for L.A. all but dries up

A satellite image shows a storm system that is expected to bypass the Los Angeles region Thursday, contrary to earlier predictions.

A satellite image shows a storm system that is expected to bypass the Los Angeles region Thursday, contrary to earlier predictions. (National Weather Service)

Ari Bloomekatz

The weather forecasters have spoken: The great Thanksgiving rain scare of 2013 has, for the most part, passed.

Early this week meteorologists had predicted cold, wet weather across the Southland for Thanksgiving Day, with the chance of rain in many places pegged at between 40% and 50%.

But forecasters on Wednesday scaled back their prediction when a low-pressure system that appeared to be heading close to shore ended up further west than expected. Now, the chance of even a brief shower is at 20% for Thursday, with "a few sprinkles" more likely, the National Weather Service said.

"The small change, a couple of hundred miles further west, and that's going to make a big difference in the forecast," said Scott Sukup, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

Sukup added that the region can expect a "cloudy, cool day," with a greater chance of precipitation in the evening.

In downtown L.A. on Thursday, the high is expected to be 69 with a low of 55. In Long Beach, the high is expected to be 68 degrees with a low of 53. In Santa Monica, the high is expected to be 69 with a low of 54. Similar temperatures are expected in Burbank.

"It's going to be, for the most part, a quiet weather day," Sukup said. "Just some clouds and slight chance of sprinkles and showers."